


The Night of The Twist of Fate

by EliseNeilsen



Category: Wild Wild West (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:13:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25439755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EliseNeilsen/pseuds/EliseNeilsen
Summary: Jim gets hurt and is rescued by a surprising twist of fate
Kudos: 2





	The Night of The Twist of Fate

The Night of the Twist of Fate

San Francisco  
Dr. Miguelito Loveless moved around his newest laboratory humming to himself. He made several adjustments to various bubbling flasks and watched as the vapor coming off the retort flasks and single drops of liquid fall into a large glass beaker. In the background he could hear his lovely companion playing a harpsichord. Her clear sweet voice ringing around the cavern underneath the derelict old mansion he had found over-looking the San Francisco bay. He walked over to another table and began mixing reagents, working with ingredients trying to find just the right balance in the formula he was creating. He moved from table to table checking the final product on each. Now, all he had to do was wait for everything to cool and then he would combine them and finally for once and all be rid of that pest James. West.

Denver  
James West followed his partner Artemus Gordon into the Treasury building and up to the reception desk. “Artemus Gordon and James West to see Colonel Richmond.”  
“He’s expecting you gentlemen. Go straight down the hall, cross the corridor and straight through the door. “Is there anything else?”  
“No, thank you.” James removed his hat and followed his partner.  
“Any idea why the Colonel wants to see us?”  
“Not a clue,” Artemus opened the door and the Colonel’s aide sat behind a desk going through papers. The man looked up at the two agents and rose, he walked over to a door and opened it. “Colonel, Mr. West and Mr. Gordon.”  
“Come in gentlemen, and close the door behind you.” James closed the door behind him and strode across the room and stopped behind his partner.  
“I called you in here to let the two of you know that Dr. Loveless has escaped once again and you’re needed to stop him.   
James heaved a heavy sigh of relief and looked at their handler. “Any idea where he might be?”  
“We believe he is somewhere in the San Francisco, we’re just not sure where.”  
Artemus looked over his shoulder at his friend and wondered what West was thinking. “We’ll deal with him, we’ll leave immediately,” He heard James say. Gordon rose and followed his partner out of the office. “I am not about to let you go haring off to San Francisco without me.” He reached out and grabbed the younger agent by the upper arm and pulled him off to the side of the hallway. “James you are in no condition to go after Loveless. You can barely stand up right, so just tell me how you plan to deal with that little mad man.”  
“Artie, I don’t have a choice and you know it. He’d kill anyone else.” James leaned against his shoulder against the wall and ran the edge of his hat through his fingers.  
“Yeah, I know, but Jim.” Gordon watched his partner very carefully. There were dark circles under the younger man’s eyes and his face looked drawn and haggard. “Jim can you remember the last time we had leave?”  
West remained silent for a very long time as he tried to remember when he and Gordon had last had a vacation. “No, I don’t and from the look on your face neither do you. Come on Artie, let’s get back to the train.”  
The two men walked into the parlor car, just before he reached the door, Jim pulled a cord and the train’s whistle blew letting the engineer know that they were ready to leave.

San Francisco  
Two weeks later the Wanderer pulled up to an out of the way platform and came to a stop. On the front car a platform dropped to the ground and two horses were lead down. One a big black stallion of Quarter Horse lineage, the other a dappled grey gelding also of Quarter Horse lineage. The stable mates nipped at each other playfully as Artemus Gordon and James West put their rifles into the holster of the off side of their horse’s saddles. Mounting them they turned the animals head toward the city’s center and left at a ground covering canter.   
Walking along the business district, the two men talked so softly that with all the noise in the surrounding area. “I suggest we stable the horses and find a room and something to eat.”  
“I would also suggest you try to get some more rest, you still look terrible.” Gordon pulled his horse to a halt and dismounted, handing the reins to a stable boy. “Give him a good brushing down, my boy.”  
“Yes sir,”   
The lad turned to look at the black stallion who laid his ears flat back against his head and bared his teeth. James dismounted and tapped the horse on the nose. “Cut that out, he’s only a kid, be nice.” The horse snorted, shook his head and willing followed his rider in to the stables. “Don’t let any touch this horse, understand?” The stable boy nodded his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. James, chuckled. “This horse only responds to me.” West unsaddled the horse and flung it on a rack in front of the animal’s stall. He removed the bridle and began brushing him down, talking softly and stroking the now happy stallion as he was brushed.   
The boy took care of Arte’s horse, then showed James where the hay and grain was stored. He also produced a bucket for water and filled that and hung it up in the stall. James, took the boys hand and instructed him to blow in the stallion’s nose and let the horse smell his hand. The young man stood rigid as the horse looked him over. “Satisfied?” James shook his head as the animal, more interested in his grain than the boy, tuned his head and stuffed his nose in the grain bucket. West began laughing, “Old faker.”  
He patted the animal on the neck and went to join his partner at the hotel just up the street. He joined Artemus in the lobby as his partner handed him a key. “We’re across the hall from each other, and you have a bathroom.”  
“Good, a long soak in very hot water sounds like paradise, right now. How about I meet you down here in time for dinner?”  
“Sounds good, it’ll give me time to look around, and see what I can find out.” Artemus disappeared into this room, several minutes later and funny old man exited and headed down the stairs singing softly to himself.  
James smiled, laughed softly to himself and entered the bathroom. After filing the tub with hot water, he soaked until the water got too cool to be comfortable. He dressed most of his clothes, leaving his jacket off until he went down for dinner. After stretching out on the bed he was sound asleep within minutes.  
Artemus walked into a rather seedy saloon and made his way to the bar. He looked at the barkeeper and ordered a whiskey and listened to the talk of the men. Some of them were talking and one man mentioned delivering cases of glassware and chemicals to an old derelict mansion several miles outside the city. He finished his drink, then pretending to be drunk, started singing in a slurred drunken manner and staggered out of the bar.

Dr. Loveless’s Laboratory  
Dr. Miguelito Loveless hummed happily to the music played his lovely companion Antoinette. He walked over to the harpsicord and the pair began to sing old round. She started, then he would join in and they would finish together. When the round was over, he walked over to the first table covered with glassware filled with colored liquid. Each beaker contained a different color of liquid, these were the final ingredients in the formula he would use to force the governor to return his family’s land.  
Antoinette finished her first song and began another song and Loveless joined in singing as he moved on to another table adjusting the flames under the beakers, making sure that the liquids were filling various other beakers at a precise rate. He hummed along with her as she played nearly dancing with joy. He twirled and laughed, continued to make adjustments, singing with joy. “Finally I will be rid of that perfidious pest Mr. James West, for once and all.”  
He looked up and started unhappily at James West and standing behind and to one side was Artemus Gordon. “What are you two doing here?”  
“Putting you back in prison again.” West responded with his weapon pointed directly at the dwarf.  
“Now, why would you do that?” Loveless continued pouring the contents of one beaker into another.  
“Because it’s where you belong, before you can hurt anyone.”  
“Me?! Hurt someone?”  
“You threatened to kill every man, woman and child in America. With that powder you used on me remember?”  
The little man smiled, “Yes,” he gave West a feral grin. “You nearly went out of your mind, as I remember.”  
“Just give it up Dr. Loveless. You are going back to prison. Let’s go” The secret service agent pulled out a pair of cuffs and put them on Loveless, the pointed his gun in the direction of the way out. “Let’s go”  
The little man sighed, and moved ahead of West and Gordon walked up a set of stairs and straight into a coupled of very large men, who took custody of him. They put him in the back of a wagon, got in one, on either side and the door was shut and locked. He sighed, shook his head and leaded back against the rocking wall.  
“Well, that was easy.” Gordon holstered his weapon and looked at his partner. “That was too easy, wouldn’t say?”  
“Never mind Artie, we’ve got better things to do than hang around here,” James holstered his weapon and headed up the stairs followed by his partner. “The cleanup squad will be here later to dispose of that,” West pointed at the tables of glassware.  
“Good, I’d hate to have to deal with it,” Reaching the front door, the two men mounted their horses and left the big old house behind.

The Wanderer  
The telegraph on the desk continued to click as a message from the Washington D.C. branch of the Secret Service. Artemus Gordon wrote the message down on the paper that was always present on the desk top. His partner sat in the chair across the desk from him busily writing up their previous case involving a group of counterfeiters who were busy passing their worthless money across the southwestern United States. They had even been so bold as to counterfeit Mexican money and try to spread that around. The group had kept the two agents busy for months as they tried to stop them. The group had frustrated both Gordon and West as they chased individual members around the dessert.   
The telegraph key finally stopped clicking and Artemus leaned back and watched James as he wrote, occasionally dipping the nib of his pen into the inkwell. “Well, Loveless has escaped prison again, and according to Washington they want us to find him and put him back behind bars again.”  
James looked up at the older agent and asked, “Which one do we go after first, Loveless or Calderon?”  
“Which is the most dangerous of the pair, James?”  
“I’d say it’s a tie, they’re both dangerous just in different ways. Loveless is more of a threat to society as a whole, while Calderon is more of a personal threat. Why do ask Artie?”  
“Washington, wants us to take care of both of them. I’d like to know how they expect us to be in two places at once,” Gordon rose and closed the bookcase that housed the telegraph and turned it to face his partner.  
“I don’t know, sometimes I think Washington thinks we can accomplish the impossible, but being in two places at once seems to be stretching it to the extremes, don’t you think?” James signed the bottom of the report.  
Before Artemus could respond the telegraph key began clicking, going faster than it had before. Gordon began writing the second message as the fast the key was going. He looked up at his partner when the message finished, tapped the message received code, then shut the box again. “We’ve got a problem.”  
“Again? Artie, what’s going on?”  
“Three of our agents have been found murdered and two more are missing. The three murdered men were all found in the central California area. Colonel Richmond isn’t sure where the two missing agents have gone. All five men have disappeared within the last ten days. Richmond wants us to get to Clipper Gap as soon as possible.” Gordon rose and went over to the sideboard and pulled down their map of central California. He looked carefully at the map until he finally found the town of Clipper Gap. “Clipper Gap is here in central California, where there are plenty of hiding places, including surrounding towns.” The agent pointed at the map and tapped his forefinger right where Clipper Gap was located.  
James rose and walked over to his partner and looked at where Artemus was pointing. “That is a lot of territory to cover, any idea how we’re supposed to go about it?”  
“Not a clue, and your right about the territory, if it’s just the two of us, there is no way we are going be able to cover it. I’ll telegraph Colonel Richmond and have him send us all the help he can.”  
“Ask him to get the Calvary to spread out starting at their fort and go in concentric circles, for say about twenty five miles from each fort. That still leaves a lot of territory to cover. Even if we get the extra man power, we aren’t going to be able to cover this.” James drew a complete circle around the area that needed to be searched for both Loveless and Calderon. “So, which direction do you want to take?”  
“South, I’ll leave as soon as I get that telegram off to Richmond.” Gordon returned to the desk and began tapping the telegraph key.  
James entered his dressing room and opened the pocket door that contained his suits, hats and arms. He dressed, shut the pocket door, and pulled down the board which held his guns, rifles and other arms. He pulled a clean shirt out of a drawer put it on, the pulled down the board that held his gun belt, extra revolvers, rifles and other arms. He removed a derringer and attached it to his forearm, locked it in place, then snapped his wrist forward and the small two shot gun snapped into the palm of his hand. He re-set that, then removed a throwing knife and put that in the nape of his jacket, then took out a lock pick and put that under his lapel. After choosing a revolver, he made sure it was loaded, the shoved it in his holster. And put his gun belt around his waist and buckled it. After filling his saddle bag with clean clothes and extra ammunition, he exited the dressing room. Making sure that his water-proof cape was tied to the back of his saddle he mounted his black stallion and headed away from the train at a canter.

Dr. Loveless’s Laboratory  
Miguelito Loveless slowly and carefully mixed the different colored fluids together. Each table had its own set of beakers, containing fluid within the same color range. One table held blue liquid, another held various shades of green, a third held liquid ranging from deep burgundy to the palest pink. A final table held all shade of yellow liquid to a deep orange. He took one beaker at a time and poured the contents into the second, then took the third beaker into the fourth, as so on all the way to the end of each table. Once that was complete, he then set the beakers over the Bunsen burners and slowly began to heat the new mixtures. He heard Antoinette playing in the background began to sing, he joined along. They sang around and followed each other in another song from days gone by. He continued to hum the song under his breath. Loveless, pulled his pocket watch out and checked the time. In another two hours he would take the next step in his preparation to eliminate James West. Miguelito came to the final table he walked over to Antoinette, pausing beside the beautiful brunette and joined her in another song. “Antoinette, in two hours’ time I will take the next steps to permanently eliminating James West from interfering in my operations forever.” He smiled, then began to laugh and was joined by his companion.

Central California Clipper Gap  
James West rode in to Clipper Gap and dismounted his horse, tied him to the hitching rail and entered the saloon. He strode up to the bar and ordered a whiskey. The barkeep set a glass in front of the stranger in fancy clothes and poured from a bottle. The man dressed in royal blue, tight fitting pants, a bolero jacket and ascot, gold vest and black hat. He turned to face the door and rested his forearms on the edge of the bar. He would occasionally reach back and take a sip of his whiskey. He had the bartender refill the glass as he continued to watch various men, come and go from the saloon.   
Hearing hoof beats he looked up when a rough looking bunch of men entered, yelling for the bar keep to set up several rounds of drinks. One man yelled asking about a poker game and who wanted to ani’t-up. He sat down at one of the larger round tables and picked up the cards and began shuffling.   
James continued to watch everything going on around him. Finishing his drink, straightened and headed out of the saloon. He took his horse and led the animal to the stables, untacked the animal, brushed him down and fed him. Taking his saddle bags off the back of the saddle, West left the stable, dropping a coin into the stable owner’s hand. He entered the hotel and went straight to the registration, signed the book, got his key and went straight to his room. He dropped the saddle bag on the bed, removed his gun belt and set it on the night stand. He undressed, picked up a towel from the stand, headed into the bathroom. Feeling refreshed, he put on clean clothes and headed down to the restaurant for dinner. After eating, he decided to take a stroll around town for a while, once again stopping in at the saloon. He ordered a bourbon instead of whiskey and took a long drink. Once again he watched the men drinking, playing cards, talking to the saloon girls. His green eyes missed nothing, spotting, the sheriff he walked over to the man “Excuse me, sheriff, can I speak to you?”  
“And you are?”   
“West, James West. I’ve been called in to investigate Alexandro Calderon. What can you tell me about him?” The secret service agent explained his presence.  
“All I know is that Calderon is located somewhere up in the mountains outside of town. “We don’t truck with people like that. We are a peaceful people. We don’t even have crime ‘round here.” The sheriff explained as the two men walked toward his office. They entered the small building and the sheriff moved around his desk and dropped into his seat.   
A man came out of the holding area holding a gun pointed directly at James’ back. “I have heard that you are looking for me Senior West.”  
The secret service agent held his hand out to his side away from his gun belt as he felt his gun being removed. “Now, then what do you want Senior?” A tall, muscular man moved into his vision a colt revolver held negligently in his hand.  
“I came here to take you into custody to stand trial for the murders you’ve committed.” The agent lowered his hands and waited patiently for his opportunity.   
The big man laughed as the sheriff rose took a pair of hand cuffs and snapped them around the agent’s wrists behind his back. “Now, senior you will come with me, and if you give me any trouble I will shoot you. Do you understand?”  
“Yes.”  
“We will go out the back way so as not to disturb your people, sheriff Donnelley.” The man tapped West on the shoulder and indicated for him to turn and head out the back door of the jail.  
“Where are you taking me?”  
“Oh, you will see, soon enough. Do you have a horse?”  
“Well, I certainly didn’t walk here. Of course I have a horse.”  
“Do not get smart with me, I have very little in the way of patience, so let us go and get your horse, shall we?”  
“If that’s what you want.”  
The two men crossed through several allies and entered the large stables. “I’m going to need my hands if I am going to tack up my horse.”  
“No, Senior I will tack up your horse for you, you will stand right there and do nothing.” The Mexican reached out and opened the stable door but the big black stallion had other ideas. He went straight up in the air and flung his front hooves striking at the unknown man. He screamed a shrill warning to the man who tried to enter his stall. The stallion continued to rear and protest the man’s presence. The Mexican, swore and slammed the stall door closed. Swearing in a mixture of Portuguese and Spanish he rounded on West. “Why did you not warn me of this?”  
“You didn’t ask.”  
“How is he to be handled?”  
“No one handles him. He’s completely wild, we’re friends and he lets me ride him, but no one else. And if you try to get in there again Ajax will kill you and if he doesn’t I will.” The voice from the five foot seven inch agent stood looking coldly at the Mexican, a derringer held competently in his hand.  
“What the…?” Calderon swore again and looked at the tiny gun in the agent’s hand.  
“What are you planning to do, Senior with that little pop gun?”  
“Shoot you, if I have to.” James held out the handcuffs and gave the man a cold eyed smile. “Oh you’d be surprised what I can do with this little pop gun as you call it. Now, drop your gun, and put these on with your hands behind your back.”  
“I do not think so,” Alejandro glared murder at the smaller man.  
“Oh, I think you will.” Before the two men who were trying to sneak up on him, James got off two shots one with each hand holding a derringer, instantly dropping both men. They would not get up again, ever. The agent turned to face Calderon, “I wouldn’t if I were you.”   
Moving sideways the big man grinned evilly and laughed again. “Why should I not move?”  
“Because my horse isn’t going to let you.” Jim gave a single sharp whistle and Ajax shoved open the stall door and promptly grabbed the bandito with his very strong teeth. “Good boy, just hold on to him.”  
The bandito started swearing and twisting trying to break free. “You’re going to get hurt if you keep doing that.” West picked up his saddle and calmly tacked up his horse. “Hold on to him for a minute, I have to get my saddle bags, I’ll be right back.”  
The Mexican continued to swear and twist in the stallions grasp. Ajax snorted and glared at his rider. “I’m going.”  
Several minutes later with his saddled bags over his shoulder and his gun belt back on his waist he reached up and looked at the horse. “You are going to have to let go of him if I’m going to put your bridle on.”  
Ajax shook his head and also shook Calderon at the same time. “All right have it your way.”  
James hung the bridle over the saddle horn, mounted and leaned forward. “Shall we go now?”  
Ajax gave another snort and proceeded to force the Mexican out of the barn. The man was still kicking and screaming and the horse getting tired of having his mouth jerked around dropped the man and rendered him unconscious instantly with a single tap of his steel shod hoof. Sighing heavily, West dismounted rolled the bandito over, cuffed him and returned to the stable finding the man’s horse. After a struggle, he got the man lying face down across the saddle of Calderon’s horse. He turned back and mounted Ajax. Grabbing the reins of the recalcitrant animal, the pair made their way out of town heading back to Clipper Gap and the train and its’ rolling cells.

Clipper Gap California  
Artemus Gordon grumbled as he led his grey gelding up the ramp and into the car that housed his horse and his partner’s. “What a waste,” he groused to the horse as he removed the bridle and replaced it with the halter. “You go and throw a shoe, pull a tendon and I have to walk back here. It’s your job to carry me, not the other way around.” He removed the saddle and put it on the rack. Hung up the bridle and backed the horse into the stall. He put the cross ties in place, removed the lead rope and filled the horse’s grain and water buckets, then dropped several flakes of alfalfa hay at the animal’s feet. “Wonder how Jim’s doing?” He went over to the horse first aid kit and removed the liniment and standing wraps for the gelding. It took far longer than Artemus had planned on and by the time he had finished caring for the gelding it was dark and he was in need of sustenance. “Might as well get my own dinner, since you’ve already had yours.” Patting the horse on the neck, the older agent left the car and went straight for the kitchen. There had been no sign that Jim had made it back to the train, and since it was dark and there was no moon, he supposed his partner would stop and camp somewhere along the way. He fixed his supper, then ate alone in the parlor, and this was not the first time nor would it be the last time he would eat alone. He cleaned up after himself, then returned to the parlor, sat down and picked up the book he had been reading. He would have practiced his violin, but his instrument needed new strings and the bow was also going to have to be repaired before he could practice again. He opened the pages on the well-read book. Gordon couldn’t even remember how many times he had read this book, and he really need to go to a good book shop the next time he was in Washington, San Francisco or Chicago. Both he and James needed new reading material, they had already read every single book on the shelves of the sideboard. He groaned, closed the book and tossed it aside on the sofa in frustration. He pulled out his pocket watch, opened it and looked at the time. It was very late and he was a little more than tired. James could take care of himself, he would probably ride up sometime in the late afternoon. He turned off the lights in the parlor and headed into the front of his car and went to his bedroom and undressed, and went to bed.

Somewhere on the road to Clipper Gap  
James found a suitable camping site just off the road. He stopped Ajax and dismounted. There was a groan from the second horse and the secret service agent pulled the big man off the gelding, causing him to end up sitting on his back side. Instead of untacking, he loosened the saddles, removed the bridle of Calderon’s horse, hung it on the saddle horn and tied the ugly red roan to the black stallion’s saddle. He knew that the horse would not let the roan wander off. He gathered firewood, then lit it with a match and sat on the ground with his back against a tree. He drew his revolver and crossed his arms over his chest and with his feet toward the fire. “So when we gonna eat, gringo?”  
“We aren’t so just make yourself comfortable, it won’t kill you not to eat for one night.” James tipped his hat forward and was drowsing within minutes.   
Calderon shifted and squirmed around trying figure out a way to get the cuffs off, but there was no way they were going to come off. He was stuck in them until his men came to rescue him from this government man. Several hours later, Ajax lifted his head and whinnied as he heard foot step quietly moving around in the darkness. He watched as his owner was instantly alert. He had his revolver drawn as he closely listened to the sounds in the night. He heard his horse moving restlessly around the perimeter of the small campsite. He watched his captive closely narrowing his eyes as Alejandro shifted making his wrists easier to reach. He looked out into the darkness and spotted his second in command and nodded his head. The second returned his nod and began making his slow careful way toward the federal man.  
There was a loud piercing, scream of a horse and James West was instantly pointed his gun in the direction of the horse’s whinny and was ready to fire. He moved in a crouch and kicked dirt on what was left of the small campfire. He slowly backed up so that he was crouched next to his prisoner. Two men came charging out of the darkness, gun drawn and firing. West never hesitated, he pulled the trigger, two bullets spat from the barrel of the gun, killing both men instantly. Charging out of the blackness the stallion raced across the small camp and bowled over two other men. He kicked out with one back leg, connecting with one bandit’s skull, killing him, the reared slightly and dropped his front hooves on the chest of another man he had knocked over crushing his chest and exploding the man’s heart. The stallion continued to charge back and forth across the campsite, causing havoc wherever he went. James continued to fire, reloading easily, with his back against at tree, no one could come at him from behind. One man charged at him from the left and James quickly tripped him and with the butt of his gun knocked the man out. Another charged at him and the federal agent shoved him into the trees, the man’s head connected with a tree and he dropped face first to the ground. Two more men charged West from either side and he was forced to drop his weapon. A fist fight broke out between the three men, and suddenly one man was down as Ajax shouldered the man knocking him to the ground. The horse pivoted and charged another man running him over him with complete disregard for the bones he was breaking.   
Calderon felt the cuffs of on his wrists loosen and he grabbed a stout stick and slugged the federal agent knocking him unconscious. He rolled James face down and cuffed his hand behind his back. Hearing a noise, Calderon whirled just in time to dive out of the way as the black stallion came charging out of the trees straight at him. The big animal snorted, pivoted on one back foot and charged again. The Mexican bandit threw himself once again out of the way as the horse charged past him. He grabbed a gun off the ground and fired, but the stallion nearly ran him over once again. He’d never seen a horse like this one, the animal seemed to be unafraid of anything. He fired once again, but the horse didn’t take the hint and charged directly at him. The big animal was too close and Calderon barely managed to get out of the stallion’s way. He flung himself over the top of his prisoner just in time to keep from getting trampled. Ajax sild to a stop, rearing and flinging out his front feet, pawing the air above the bandito’s hear. Several men came running shouting, waving their arms and throwing branches and whatever came to hand in an effort to drive the horse away from their leader. The stallion was finally driven off and the federal agent was thrown face down over the back of one of the bandit’s horses and the bandits’ left their dead behind disappearing into the darkness from whence they had come.

Somewhere in central California  
Doctor Miguelito Loveless looked around at the tiny cabin to which his escape from prison had forced him to use. It was only a single room with a dirt floor. “This is totally unacceptable, how am I supposed to live in this…this hovel?!” He growled and snarled as he paced around furiously around the tiny space. “Antoinette, there has to be something better, somewhere, we’ve got to find somewhere I can begin to prepare my formula and finally rid myself of James West.”  
“Miguelito, this…” the pretty, dark-haired woman pointed around the cabin. “this is only temporary. There is a much larger and nicer place waiting for us in Clipper Gap, we will get there soon, we just have to be patient and be careful not to get caught again.”  
“Oh, all right!” He crossed his arms over his chest, “Humph” and sat down on the bed.  
“Please, Miguelito, Please be patient. I know this place isn’t up to your standards, but we must stay here, it will only be for a little while. I promise, we must stay away from towns and cities or we will go back to prison, and I know you do not want that.”  
Heaving a heavy sight the little genius dropped down to the floor and began pacing back and forth. “You are right of course Antoinette, and I am sorry that I lost my temper. I am more used to better accommodations, but I suppose that this will have to suffice until we are able to move to somewhere else. Do we have horses or some other type of transport available?”  
“There is a carriage coming for us, we will only have to stay here a few days, would you like something to eat?” The woman rose to his feet and walked to the fireplace and moved the cauldron from the fire, took two bowls off the mantel and filled them. She set them on the table and poured wine for herself and the dwarf. By the time they had finished eating, the sun had gone down and darkness covered the land. Dr. Loveless removed his boots, and jacket, loosened his tie, and laid down on the bed. Antoinette removed her shoes and stretched out beside the little man. After pulling a couple of moth eaten blankets over both of them the pair fell asleep.

On the Wanderer  
Artemus Gordon checked the dappled grey horse’s leg removing the standing wrap that he had applied a couple day previously. The bowed tendon looked better, but there was still swelling in the horse’s leg. Artie rose, walked over to the horse first aid box and opened it. He removed the liniment and more standing wraps. After rubbing the ointment on the horse’s leg he wrapped it again, then rose, and emptied the old water out of the bucket filling it with clean fresh water and made sure that the animal had enough to eat for the rest of the day. Finishing his chores he headed back to the parlor. He entered just in time to hear the telegraph key clicking away as a very fast rate. He quickly strode across the room, dropped down in to a seat, and began writing. The message finished, then he tapped the key again requesting the message be sent again. The message began again and Gordon wrote it down. Once he had received the complete message, he tapped out okay and re-read the message.  
“Have not heard from West, what is happening at Clipper Gap? Need answers two more agents found dead, one agent in Slippery another agent was found dead in Lakeville and a third was found mortally wounded near Summit Hill. Find West, return to San Francisco as soon as possible, President Ulysses S. Grant.”  
“Great, just great, just when I have no way to communicate with James, he off gallivanting across the country side.” Gordon returned to the telegraph and began tapping the key. “West, out of communication range, will leave message at Clipper Gap with sheriff.”  
“Remain in place wait for West’s return, then return to Washington.” Was the reply. Artemus shook his head not believing what had been transmitted. This wasn’t the first time, nor would it be the last time that he and James had encountered a life threatening situation. He just hoped that Jim would get back soon unharmed. The oldest of the pair of agents was at the moment blissfully unaware of the danger his partner would find himself facing

In a valley near Clipper Gap  
James West slowly became aware of his surroundings as he tried to reach to touch his head and found he couldn’t move his hands. He looked around trying to figure out where he was and what had happened to him. “Well…the gringo is finally awake. You comfortable…gringo?” A tall heavy set Mexican stood behind him a whip in his massive hand.  
“I’ve had more comfortable accommodations.”  
“Then I will have to change your opinion, shall I?” He dropped the coil on to the ground and snapped the whip back, then with sudden speed he snapped the whip forward. The end of the whip grazed across West’s back cutting deeply in to his skin.  
James ground his teeth against the pain. Another snap of the whip and his back was once again cut by the whip. He shut his mind to the pain and concentrated on something else, anything else that would block the pain. The whip continued to snap behind him, cutting the skin of his back he was being efficiently cut to ribbons. Finally, he gave up the fight and lost consciousness.  
Calderon walked over to the man tied spread eagle between two poles. He pulled the man’s head up, finding him out cold. “Stupid gringo.” He let go of the federal agent’s head which dropped his chin striking his chest.  
“Jose, get a bucket of water and wake him up.” The bandit walked several paces away from the agent and once again dropped the whip to the ground.  
A skinny, mean, man with scars covering his face, dumped water into a bucket from the well, then walked over to the unconscious man and dumped the cold water over his head. James was instantly revived as the brutally cold water sloshed down his upper body. Just as soon as he became aware of his surroundings the whip slashed across his chest cutting deeply. He wasn’t even given a chance to cry out before the whip struck him again and again. Blessed unconsciousness finally descended and he lost touch with the world around him.  
He was left alone for several days, given food and water, but his wounds were only washed with the brutally cold water from the well. He watched as a fire was built in front of him and different sized irons were placed in the fire and covered with coals. Mentally West cringed as he watched the Mexican stir up the fire with the irons. He knew what was coming next and it scared him to some degree. This was not going to be pleasant, in fact, it was going to be downright brutal. He had known when he set out that Calderon had a reputation for sadistic cruelty and actually enjoyed inflicting pain on others. James braced himself for what was about to happen to him. We watched through silted eyes as the Mexican bent over, picked up a hot iron and approached him. Calderon was laughing in anticipation of the pain he was about inflict. The Mexican smiled cruelly as he reached out and laid the iron against the federal agent’s chest. He waited as Jim held motionless for as long as possible. Alejandro removed the iron and looked at the burn running across the agent’s chest. He whirled, around and went back to the fire. He picked up another iron and repeated the process over and over again. This federal agent was a strong one, much stronger than any of the others he had tortured. Not one single one had lasted as long as this man had. He would weaken eventually, it would just take more of the hot irons, and possibly even more whippings. A man could only stand just so much pain, the more pain he inflicted the more he enjoyed it. Eventually, the man would break, and plead for his life, they always did. He bent over and picked up another iron and walked slowly, carefully toward his latest victim, making sure that the agent clearly saw the red hot iron and knew what it meant for the young man.  
James lost consciousness somewhere between the third and fourth hot iron applied to his skin. The Mexican angrily threw the iron back into the fire. This man was going to be harder to break than he thought. He just smiled as he strode back to the small house he occupied. It was going to be a great pleasure to torture James West until he died from it.  
Outside, West continued to hang from his wrists, the rope cutting into the skin of his wrists and ankles began to slowly bleed. 

The Wanderer  
Artemus Gordon had had enough waiting for James to arrive. He went to the forward car and led his horse from the stall and picked up his saddle. He cinched the saddle and tight, knowing that before he would mount the animal he would have to tighten the cinch as the horse always held his breath when he was saddled. He removed the halter and bridled the animal. He added his bed roll, and water proof cape. From the looks of the weather they were in for a drenching, and he did not relish getting wet. Usually when he did he ended up with a horrible cold, and was down flat on his back for nearly two weeks. And he did not make a good patient, and by the end of the first week, James had just about lost patience with him, although he couldn’t blame his partner. He lost patience with himself as well. As he got older it seemed to him to take longer to shake off infections than it had before. “Oh well, that’s the price one paid for living.” Before leaving he re-entered the parlor car he went to the back door and made sure it was locked, then locked the front door of the parlor car, then locked both doors on the rolling car and led his horse down the ramp. He tightened the cinch and mounted up and headed toward Clipper Gap.

A Cabin outside of Clipper Gap  
Doctor Miguelito Loveless looked at the carriage which stood in front of the small cabin where he and his companion had been staying. He left the small building and got into the back of the conveyance with Antoinette. The driver gently tapped the pair of horses on their back and they moved out at a nice quick trot. As they approached the side of the mountain, the switch backs glowed between tan, white and dark shadows where evergreens shaded the road.   
Miguelito watched the scenery go by there was a mixture of evergreen, deciduous trees, rocks, cactus and other plants. The diversity of the hillside was quite amazing and it thrilled him when he saw a mother black bear and her three cubs eating from berry bushes. “Look Antoinette, a mother bear and cubs.” He pointed out the window as his companion leaned across him to look at the bear. The continued a slow careful walk down the steep incline of the switchbacks. It took until well past noon for the carriage to reach the valley floor. The conveyance picked up speed as they began moving on level ground. Ahead the driver spotted smoke and he knew that no one lived in the valley, there was an old abandoned cabin. He pulled the horses to a stop and got down off the driver’s seat and walked back toward the door. “Excuse me, doctor.”  
“Yes?”  
“There’s a problem up ahead, I’m not sure that it’s safe to continue. There’s smoke up ahead, and I know for sure that there’s an abandoned cabin up. This does not look good, but there is no way to avoid the cabin. I just want to alert you to the possibility of trouble.”  
“Thank you, driver, we will continue on toward Clipper Gap. I have an appointment that I cannot miss.” Dr. Loveless leaned back against the cushions lining the back of the carriage.  
The driver returned to his seat and tapped the animals on their backs. The horses began trotting in the direction of the cabin and the rising smoke. The approached the campsite of the bandits and the carriage slowed to a walk. Passing by Miguelito looked out of the window and couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Hanging limply between two trees, tied by his wrists and ankles was James West. The secret service agent hung limply, his upper body covered with burns and the marking of a scourge. There were deep cut marks on his chest and upper arms, and Loveless could imagine that the agent’s back probably looked the same. “Stop the coach!” he yelled, throwing open the door he got out and as fast as he could go. Approaching the badly wounded man, Dr. Miguelito Loveless’s eyes filled with tears at what had been done to a man he considered to be his only friend. Yes, he wanted to kill the agent, but he was the only one who was allowed to kill James West. Hearing a noise behind him, he whirled around to face a man nearly as large as his old friend Voltaire. “What do you want, enano?”  
“What have you done to James West?”  
“Oh, a little torture here, a little torture there.” The large Mexican responded. “Are you planning to do something about it, enano?”  
Reaching to the gun he had hidden underneath his coat, pulled it out and shot the huge Mexican. There was a shocked expression on the big man’s face as he dropped to his knees, the fell over sideways, dead by the time he hit the ground.   
“Antoinette, come here quickly, I need your help. You too driver. We have to get Mr. West into the carriage.” The pair quickly moved to Loveless’s side and the driver pulled out a knife out of his boot and reached up and cut first one wrist then the other. At the same time Antoinette, cut the ropes binding James’ feet to the poles. The driver simply picked up the young agent and carried him to the carriage and laid him on the bench just behind the driver’s seat. Loveless and his companion quickly got in before the rest of the bandits had time to scramble out of the small cabin. The driver quickly climbed onto his seat, picked up the reins and slapped the horses with the reins and they bolted down the road at a full gallop. The carriage left dust in its wake, causing the bandit gang to cough and choke on the dust. The horses raced head long into the town and right straight through it. As the carriage headed south Artemus Gordon was headed at a canter going into Clipper Gap. Loveless saw Gordon out of the corner of his eye and yelled “Stop the carriage!”  
The horses slid on their back feet bringing the conveyance to a stop and Miguelito opened the door and yelled. “Mr. Gordon, here, hurry!”  
“Dr. Loveless, I don’t have time for you or your little tricks right now. I have to find Jim.”  
“You don’t have to find him, I have him and he needs medical treatment right now if he’s going to live. Now, get in here, tie your horse to the carriage.” The little man held the door open while Gordon dismounted and tied his horse to the back of the carriage.  
Artemus stopped dead in his tracks when he first caught sight of his partner. “Dear God, what’s happened to him?”  
“Never mind that now, just get in here and take your coat off and put it over him. Hurry up Gordon!” The little man was irritated at West’s partner’s slowness.   
Artie quickly climbed into the coach, pulled off his jacket and laid it over his partner’s upper body. There was no reaction from James as the warmth of the jacket fresh off Gordon’s body began to warm his body and slowly began to penetrate the cold skin of the federal agent.  
“Dr. Loveless, what’s happened to him?” Gordon sat on the floor of the carriage and looked at the dwarf and his partner.  
“I found him spread eagle between two poles at the far end of a valley. He was being tortured by a huge Mexican, that man was even larger than Voltaire. In order to save Mr. West, I shot that man right through the heart. I’ve been hearing about the disappearances and deaths of your secret service agents. I believe that the Mexican bandit was the man responsible for those disappearances and deaths.”  
“But why save James, you’ve wanted him dead for years, why not just let him die?” Gordon was completely puzzled by the mad man’s actions.  
“Where is your train Mr. Gordon? I’m going to need medical supplies you do have medical supplies on board don’t you?” Not bothering to answer Artemus’ question he wanted an answer to his own. “The medical supplies?”  
“Yes, but there’s not much there, just some simple ointments, bandages, things like that.” The federal agent informed the little doctor.  
“It doesn’t matter, once we get him on the train we can go to San Francisco and get him to a hospital. I can provide the immediate medical attention that could mean the difference between life and death for our Mr. West.” The small doctor slid off the seat and stepped over Artemus and gently touched James’ pulse point in his throat. He could barely feel it against his questing fingers. Wests’ skin was cold to the touch and the little man could see that in spite of being unconscious, the federal agent was in serious trouble and needed immediate medical attention. Gently lifting Gordon’s coat, he looked at the burns and the cuts created by the red hot irons and the scourge. A great many of them were showing signs of infection. There was blackened and charred skin around a great many of the burns, which continued to bleed. “How far to the train, Mr. Gordon?”   
Artie rose to his knees and looked out at the passing terrain. “The siding should be up ahead just around the corner. How is he?”  
“Alive, but that’s all I can say for right now, whether he lives or not is not so easy to answer. A great many of his wounds are infected and his burns are still bleeding, very slowly, but they are bleeding. And yes, Mr. Gordon, burned people bleed and continue to bleed for quite some time after the injury has occurred. That is what makes burns so dangerous, the loss of blood and the resulting infection is what usually kills burn victims.” He carefully returned to the bench seat with Antoinette and sat down beside her. What he needed was a miracle drug, something that would fight off the infection, but nothing came to mind. The coach pulled to a stop and the driver got down and opened the door. “Is this where you wanted me to stop?” He opened the door and Artemus looked at the train and its attached cars. “We need to get him inside the last car, his bedroom is in that one.” Artemus gently slipped his arms under James and stepped down to the ground and took the younger man in his arms. “In my right coat pocket you’ll find the key to the back door. Get it unlocked so we can get inside.”  
The driver searched through the corduroy and leather fringed jacket, finally finding the key in an inside pocket. He dashed up the steps and unlocked the door, then moved out of the way of Gordon and his burden. Dr. Loveless and Antoinette followed him into the parlor of the train car. The little man paused in amazement at the luxuriously appointed room. He quickly followed the much taller agent through the swinging door and down a very narrow hallway to a room with a bed, nightstand, a very small desk and chair that was all that would fit in to the tiny space. Artemus lay James down on the bed and he looked at Loveless. “I’ll bring you whatever you need. Just tell me.”  
“Two bowls, one with warm soapy water and a clean cloths. A second bowl with clean water, and all the medical supplies you have.”  
Gordon moved past the doctor and his companion. He pointed toward the back of the car and forced the driver to head back to the parlor room. “Stay there, it’ll keep you out of our way.” Entering the kitchen he got the stove going and put on a large pot filled with water to heat, mean while he filled a bowl with clean water and grabbed a stack of clean towels and took them to Loveless. “Water’s heating, I’ll get the medical supplies what we have of them.” The agent disappeared out the door and they could hear his boot steps moving toward the front of the car. Artemus entered the front car and saw James’ black stallion standing there waiting to be unsaddled. “You’re just going to have to wait for a while Ajax, I’ll get to you as soon as I can.” He went to a supply cupboard, opened it and removed all the medical supplies they had. He returned to the bedroom and handed them to Antoinette. “That’s all we have.” He then returned to the front car and went down the ramp and untied his own horse and led the animal up the ramp. After taking care of the horses he returned to the rear car and entered the kitchen, where the water had finally reached an acceptable temperature. He poured the contents into the largest bowl they had and carried it back to James’ room. Loveless had removed the federal agent’s coat from his partner’s body and was a gently and carefully as he could he had begun to clean the wounds. The water in the bowl was already stained with West’s blood.  
He could do nothing about the pain he was causing the younger agent. James thrashed and tried to pull away from the gentle cleansing. He moaned and tried to get away from the pain, but was unable to do so. The only recourse he had was to pull deeply into his own mind finding a refuge and a place of safety. No longer able to perceive the outside world and the pain that was being inflicted upon him West dragged the remains of his consciences around himself and shut out the outside world. The only thing that would bring him back would be his partner and the steady, rock-like foundation that Artemus Gordon provided which enabled him to perform his job to the best of his abilities.  
The little man muttered to himself as he worked, he could not understand how someone could be so sadistic and cruel. He had met many men in prison, all of them had been there for one reason or another, but not a single one of them were as cruel as the Mexican Calderon had been. He was glad now that he had shot the monster who had done this to his friend/enemy. Strange that he actually thought of James West as a friend. Somehow the secret service agent always managed to stop whatever devious plot he was developing, but the man was a consummate gentleman at all times. Never once did West ridicule him about his size or even laugh at him. The agent always seemed to take him seriously, not matter what he said or did. Even Mr. Gordon was just as polite and gentlemanly with him. They always treated him with respect, for which he was eminently grateful to the two agents. He did not believe for one second that any other agents of the secret service would have treated him in such a manner. He looked over his shoulder at the older of the two agents and saw a deep worry and concern in the dark brown eyes.  
“I promise you Mr. Gordon, I will do my best to save Mr. West. I cannot guarantee anything, but I will do my best.”  
“That all anyone can ask, and thank you Doctor Loveless. What else do you need?”   
The little man sighed, the looked at Artemus, “Could you pay the carriage driver?”  
“Yes, of course,” Gordon turned and left leaving the pocket door open. He entered the parlor room fished around in his vest pocket and came up with several coins. Handing the silver to the man he walked past him and indicated for him to leave. The driver took the money, left the car and climbed aboard the carriage. He tapped the horses with the reins and the quickly returned the way they had come. Artemus closed the steps, turned and pulled a cord attached to the whistle on the engine. It blew loudly and the bell rung in response and the Wanderer slowly began to move forward heading for San Francisco.

The Wanderer   
The train finally reached full speed as it headed toward the port city of San Francisco. There was a hospital there, but even Artemus wondered if the doctors there would be able to save his partner’s life. He signed and leaned against the door frame. “I’ll fix us some lunch,” the agent announced and he turned and headed to the back of the car.   
“Mr. Gordon, do you need help?”  
“No, thank you only one person can fit in the kitchen at a time, space is a premium on board these cars and we have to make the most of what we do have. But, thank you Antoinette.”  
She followed him to the kitchen and stood in the doorway realizing that what he had told her was nothing but the truth. Space was something that was difficult to come by on the custom designed Pullman car. She said nothing as he opened cupboards and removed items he would use to create sandwiches. He saw her watching him and smiled sadly, “Sorry about the plain fair, we haven’t had time to get fresh supplies aboard, so we’re limited to what we have which isn’t much. He opened a tiny ice box and removed a ham, and cut several slices off the roast. He took out the butter, some tomatoes, lettuce, sliced cheese, a bottle of mustard and another bottle of mayonnaise, which he set aside. Opening another cupboard he removed a loaf of bread, and looked disgustedly at the mold growing on it. “Great, just great the only bread we have is moldy.” He was about to throw the moldy bread out the window when Loveless shouted. “Don’t! Mr. Gordon, don’t throw that away, I can make a medicine from that mold that just might save Mr. West’s life, give me the bread. Is there a lab on this train?”  
“Yes.” Loveless’s companion moved out of the way and Artemus led the dwarf to his laboratory in the stable car. He opened the door and showed him the work bench.   
Loveless nodded, “I can work with this. Now, get out of my way and let me work.” He climbed up on the stool that sat under the bench and began gathering what he would need to create the medicine he had once told James about. It seemed a lifetime ago, but he still remembered how to make the medicine from the mold he had grown in one of his earlier experiments.  
Artemus returned to the tiny kitchen and put what food they had that was edible on a platter and what bread they had that was not moldy on the platter and took it into the parlor. He set it on the table, along with plates, knives and a large pitcher of water, since that was all they had available. He knew it was pretty inadequate fare, but sometime one just had to make due. Once in San Francisco he would have to get fresh supplies, not only for the engine crew, but the horses as well as themselves. He heard the loud whistle of Wanderer as the engine began to slow, the bell on the massive machine began to sound as the whistle blew and the train came to a stop at an isolated platform at Union Station in San Francisco.   
Artemus opened the steps to the train and dashed across the platform emerging on the crowded city streets. He hailed a cab. “Toland Medical College and hurry!” The cab driver slapped the reins and the pair of horses stepped up into the canter. The several minutes later they arrived at the hospital and Gordon rand through the open doors straight up to the front desk. “I need an ambulance, I have a critically injured man I need transported here as soon as possible.”  
“The nurse turned and ordered the ambulance. Where to sir?”  
“The last platform at Union Station. I’ll meet them there.” He turned and retraced his steps and climbed back into the cab. “Union Station and step on it.” The horses once again moved into a canter and quickly retraced their route. He exited the cab flipped the driver a pair of coins and re-entered the parlor and swiftly went to James’ room. “Dr. Loveless, Antoinette I need you to go into the dressing room, now, I do not want you found here. Do you understand?”  
“Are you arresting us Mr. Gordon?”  
“No, I’m protecting you and trying to keep you from being arrested. As far as anyone knows, I’m the one who shot Calderon, not you do you understand?”  
“Please, get moving, once the ambulance has removed James from the train, I will go with him, and you and Antoinette can get off the train and leave. There is a south bound train that will be leaving within the next few minutes. Get on it and don’t come back for at least a year. The agency and everyone in law enforcement are searching for you, so find somewhere safe and stay out of trouble.”  
“Why are you doing this Mr. Gordon?”  
“You’ve tried to save my partner’s life. It’s the least I can do, it’s the only way to repay the debt we both owe you and Antoinette, so please stay out of sight until we’re gone.”  
The pair quickly moved into the dressing room/laboratory and remained silent as Artemus directed the stretcher bearers into James’ room and they put the critically injured man onto the stretcher. They carefully moved from the bedroom through the parlor and out to the ambulance. As soon as Artemus climbed into the back, the conveyance took off at a canter.  
Once the ambulance had disappeared, the dwarf looked out one of the windows and quickly ducked down. Antoinette, get down there are police everywhere. We cannot leave the safety of this train, at least not yet, not until the police have left. He watched as a large delivery cart pull up to the platform and began unloading supplies into first car. “Well, it seems that Mr. Gordon has not forgotten to order supplies. There seems to quite a lot of them.”  
“So what are we supposed to do Miguelito?” the pretty dark-haired woman looked to the little scientist.  
“Right now, we stay where we are and hope we are not discovered.”  
The pair made themselves comfortable and awaited events that would turn to their advantage. 

Toland Medical Center San Francisco  
Artemus Gordon impatiently paced up and down the hallway outside of the room the doctors had placed his partner. They had closed the door in his face and forbidden him or anyone else to enter. Several doctors and nurses moved in and out of the room, not a single one even spoke to him.   
“Gordon!”  
The secret service agent whirled to face Colonel Richmond as he came striding down the hall. “What the hell is going on?”  
Taking the man by his upper arm Artemus led him off to a corner of a small waiting room. “Colonel, please keep your voice down.”  
“Report, Gordon!”  
“As you know we went to find out what had happened to our missing colleagues. We found a Mexican bandit called Alejandro Pissarro Calderon. He was a sadistic bastard and took pleasure in torture using red hot irons and a whip called a scourge. James and I spilt up each taking one half of the valley that surrounded Clipper Gap. Somehow Calderon got his hands on James. I traced Calderon to the far side of the valley up a dead end canyon. He had James tied spread eagle between two poles and was torturing him. I shot Calderon in the chest and cut James free. Got him on my horse and back to the train as fast as I could. Treated his wounds as best as I could then brought him here.”  
“Why didn’t you take him to Sacramento?”  
“They don’t have a burn ward and Toland does.”  
“Have they said anything?”  
“No.”  
The door to James’ room opened and two doctors exited the room closing the door behind them. The two secret service agents quickly stepped in front of the medics and Artemus looked at the concerned expressions on their faces. “I’m sorry to say gentlemen it does not look good. Mr. West is suffering from third degree burns, blood loss, shock, and infection in a great many of his wounds. These wounds are going to be difficult to treat and in some cases impossible. In some places the burns are only on the surface, what we would term second degree burns, redness of the skin, blisters, in other places the burns have destroyed the upper layers of the skin, what is termed third degree. Mr. West is heavily sedated, and will remain that way. Not only does he have the problems with the burns, but he also has ben flogged, whoever did this tried to inflict as much pain and damage to Mr. West as possible. I do not know if we can save his life so many of the wounds are infected, and they will be hard to treat. We will be taking him into to surgery and debriding or removing the charred skin and attempting to suture healthy skin to healthy skin and closed those wounds, we might possibly save him. I can make no promises or guarantees, gentlemen. We will do the best we can.”   
“Can I see him?” Gordon asked looking between the three doctors. “He’s my partner,” The senior agent made to walk past the men.  
One of the doctors reached out and grabbed hold of Gordon’s upper arm. “Mr. Gordon, your partner will not even know that you are there. And there is a great risk of causing further infection. Right now, Mr. West cannot have visitors. Now, if you will excuse us we have other patients to see.” The doctors arrogant in the superiority pushed past Gordon and Richmond. One doctor remained outside James’ room and watched the tall man dressed in brown and gold, a gun belt hung from his hip and was tied down. Artemus paced back and forth for a few strides, then seemed to come to a decision. He drew his gun and pointed it directly at the doctor. “If you don’t move out of the way right now, I’m going to shoot you, do understand?”  
The doctor suddenly lost all of arrogant superiority and quickly nodded his head in ascent and swiftly moved out of the gunman’s way. Gordon burst through the door and shut it behind him. He re-holstered his gun and with two long strides was standing beside his partner’s side.  
“I’m here Jim, you’re safe. Just take it easy, I have to do something and I promise I’ll be back. Just rest, buddy. I promise I’ll be back as quick as I can.” He reached down and gently touched his best friend’s seemingly cold, lifeless hand. There was no response from James, and Artemus didn’t expect there to be one. He gritted his teeth, turned and swiftly left the room.  
“Gordon, where are you going?”  
“To get help,”  
Richmond quickly followed one of his best senior agents out into the street. He reached out and grabbed the man by the arm and whirled him around so he faced the colonel. “Artemus, just exactly what are you planning on doing?”  
“I don’t know, but I am not going to stand aside and let them kill my partner, by doing nothing. He’s my best friend and I am not going to just do nothing. I’ll keep in touch, now if you will excuse me I have things to do.” Artemus quickly left the hospital, stopped a cab and returned to the Wanderer.  
Once inside he pulled of his jacket, and threw it down on the sofa. He began pacing back and forth between one door and another. He heard a noise, drew his revolver. “Come out and keep your hands where I can see them.”  
The door opened and Loveless and Antoinette came slowly through the swinging door. “Mr. Gordon, I am unarmed, I assure you.”  
“Loveless, what are you still doing here?” Gordon re-holstered his weapon.  
“Antoinette and I were unable to leave as there was too many police officers on the platforms for us to take a chance on getting on board the southbound train.”  
“Maybe you can help after all. The doctors at Toland Medical Center are doing nothing for James, except letting him die and I’ll be damned if I am just going to stand aside and give up on my partner.” Gordon began pacing again solidifying the idea in his head. He stopped in mid-stride, whirled and faced the little man. “Do you remember when you disguised yourself as Dr Liebknecht?”  
“Yes, why?”  
“Do you think you could do it again?”  
“I do not understand Mr. Gordon.”  
“I’d like to take you to Toland as a specialists in burn treatments and wound infections. You just might be the only one who can save James’ life. I have everything in the way of makeup you might need, but clothes will be a problem.”  
“Don’t worry about clothes, Antoinette is very talented with her needle and thread. Show me what you have.”  
Artemus, took the little doctor into the dressing room and showed him everything he had. Meanwhile, Antoinette got busy with her needle and thread to create a suite for the dwarf. By dinner time, Miguelito and Antoinette had competed their work, they joined Gordon for dinner. Early the next morning they left for the hospital.

Toland Medical Center  
Once they arrived Artemus guided the little doctor where the Toland doctor’s had Jim sequestered. The doctors who had spoken with the secret service agent left the room. One of the doctor’s sighed and stepped in front of the agent. “Mr. Gordon, you were told that Mr. West cannot have visitors.”  
“I’ve contacted a specialists, who has agreed to take a look at James and see if there is anything he can do to help my partner. This is Dr. Liebknecht from Austria, he was in Sacramento and agreed to come here to see if he could assist in anyway. He is a specialists in burns and infections.”  
“I have never heard of you Dr. Liebknecht where did you get your training?” One of the men looked down his nose at the small man.  
“I am from Vienna, I teach at the University of Vienna. My specialties are the treatments of burns and wound infections. Herr Gordon, sent me a telegram where I have been visiting my nephew and he asked for my assistance. I have agreed to come and see what I can do to possibly save Herr Vest’s life. So, may I have his medical chart, please, then once I have read that I vould like to see him.” The dwarf held out his hand for the chart that one of the doctors was holding.  
The man reluctantly handed over the papers that consisted of James’s treatment so far. Miguelito swiftly read through the few papers that comprised the medical chart. There was little information except the debridement of the burns and minor cleaning and no mention of treatment or any course of treatment. He handed back the few papers. “I will see Herr Vest now. Herr Gordon, vill you accompany me?”  
“Of course, if that is what you wish, doctor.”  
The entered the room and Artemus was nearly brought to tears as the sight of his partner. “Dear Gods, he looks like he’s….” the agent couldn’t even finish the sentence. He quickly moved to the bedside and touched the pulse point in his partner’s throat. The skin beneath his fingers was deathly cold and the pulse was so weak that he could barely feel it at all. He looked fearfully at the little doctor as Miguelito began his careful examination.   
The little doctor lifted the blankets gently and exposed James’ chest and arms. The burns were red and raw, and obviously not been treated and he just heaved a sigh. “These hafe not been treated correctly, nor hafe they’ve even cleaned properly.” Miguelito looked at Gordon and said, “The doctor’s hafe done almost nothing to cleanse these vounds. I hope that I hafe not come to late to save Herr Vest.”  
“Come Herr Gordon, I must speak to these men who claim to be doctors.” Loveless sat down on the chair, then climbed down to the floor.  
The two men exited the room and Miguelito looked up at the three men. “I vish to know vhy you hafe done nothing to cleanse Herr Vest’s vounds?” The doctors stared at him in horror. “Just exactly what do you expect us do Doctor Liebknecht?”  
“Treat him of course, you…you…idiots are standing here doing nothing vhile Herr Vest is dying in there.” The irate little man pointed at the door through which he had come. “His vounds need to cleansed many times per day, and treated, the burnt skin needs to be properly removed and the vounds stitched closed. There are many other vays to treat these burns and infections caused by the vounds that Herr Vest has received. I vill require clean fresh vater, clean cloths, and my nurse. Herr Gordon, vill you please go back to my hotel and escort Miss Antoinette here so that she may assist me. I vill also need my medical bag, vill you bring that also?”  
“Of course, doctor, is there anything else?” Gordon bowed briefly from the waist, turned and left the shocked and silent doctors behind.  
He returned to the train and entered the parlor. “Antoinette, do know if Dr. Loveless has a medical bag, and if so where is it and he wants you to come with me to Toland to assist him.”  
Antoinette smiled softly, then turned and disappeared through the swinging door. She returned dressed as a nurse with a medical bag in hand. “Shall we go, Mr. Gordon?”

Toland Medical Centre  
Artemus Gordon and Antoinette quietly entered James West hospital room and the pretty brunette set Dr. Loveless’s medical bag on a near-by table. She opened the bag and began setting ointments and several jars of and medications. A nurse came in followed several young ladies, each carrying bowls, water and clean cloths. Miguelito carefully moved the blankets down to James’ waist folding them neatly. A bed table was brought over and a bowl of clean water and several cloths were laid beside the bowl. Antoinette took a powdered substance and poured it into the bowl and mixed it thoroughly with the water. The little dwarf put on gloves and soaked the first cloths, then he very carefully began to clean the wounds. It was going to take quite a while as Loveless spoke to Antoinette and Artemus. “The wounds are not as badly infected as I have feared. I will give him an injection once every eight hours to help him fight off the infection. I have created a medication from mold vhich grows on bread. It is very powerful, and it may possibly save Herr Vest’s life.  
Artie watched the little man as he worked on West’s wounds. “Is there anything I can do to help?”  
Before the dwarf could answer the door opened and two doctors entered the room. The stopped their conversation as they watched Loveless as he gently cleaned the open wounds. Artemus took the dirty water and dumped it out the window, then left the room to refill it with fresh clean water. He returned with the full bowl as Liebknecht was giving a lecture on what he was doing and why. “These vounds must be clean and kept clean to prevent infection. It is the infection that will ultimately kill our patient. Provided that he does not die of shock and blood loss. Herr Vest is a strong, healthy young man. From his musculature I also know that he is fit, as long as ve keep the vounds clean und remove the dead tissue he has a very goot chance that he will live. I am sure that Herr Vest will make a full physical recovery, but mentally what this type of torture vill do to a man, that I do not know. He vill have to be closely monitored. I only vish that I vould be the vne to monitor him.”  
Artemus set the bowl down and looked at Loveless. “Is there really a chance?”  
“Yes, I have given him my new drug. I will give him another dose in another six hour.” Loveless finished sotto voce. “Herr Gordon, vould you please assist me in rolling Herr Vest on to his side, so that I may begin cleaning the vounds on his back.”  
Doctor Liebknecht and Artemus Gordon with the assistance of the nurses, the rolled James on to his left side and Loveless gently began to wash and cleanse the wounds he found there. The bowl had to been filled several times before the wounds were clean. The little doctor applied the ointment then covered the wound with a thick bandage. They left him lying on his side so that the wounds would have exposure to the air. “Now gentlemen, as you can see the vounds are clean und an ointment has been applied, he will be in less pain and most of the infection has been cleansed. I vill also give him und experimental medication vich is supposed to assist the body und fighting infection. I vill give him this injection every eight hours, and the nurses vill cleanse these vounds three times a day and apply the ointment. I vill see him every day to make sure that the vounds are being cleansed. Why you do nothing to help this young man is beyond my understanding.” He gave the other doctor’s a withering glare of contempt. “This is no excuse to for you gentlemen to have done nothing to even control his pain, the least you could have done is cleanse these vounds, and given him morphine.” The little doctor sat down on the chair on which he stood, then lowered himself to the floor. “Herr Gordon, I vish you to stay vith Herr Vest.”   
“That will not be a problem, doctor.” Artemus Gordon sat down on the chair next to the bed gently laid his hand over his partner’s and quietly began to pray.

San Francisco Toland Hospital  
James West slowly and very carefully stepped beyond the safe place in his mind where he had gone to escape the torture that was being inflicted upon him. He could feel a presence, strong, steady and loving just at the edge of his awareness. His rock and foundation, his partner and best friend, he groaned and tried to move, finding that his movements were restricted, and very painful. He opened his eyes to a blindingly bright light, he closed his eye again and felt a gentle hand on his own. “Artie?”  
“Who else?” The older agent smiled and looked into the green eyes of his partner.  
“How do you feel?”  
“Stupid question, how the hell do you think I feel?”  
Gordon laughed, and shook his head. “You’ve never been known to be an easy patient. James how did Calderon get his ummm…hands on you?”   
“I’m not too sure, the last thing I remember, I had Calderon in hand cuffs and it had gotten dark.” James reached up and rubbed his temple with one hand. “I think….although, I’m not positive one of his men…I think hit me on the head. All I know right now is that I hurt all over and I’ve got one hell of a headache.”  
“So, you are avake, Herr Vest.” A small man entered the room and walked over to the bed. He waited for Artemus to stand and then climbed onto the chair.  
“Loveless, what are you doing here?” West looked between him and his partner.  
“I am here saving your life, Herr Vest.”   
“What?”  
“It’s true James, if hadn’t been for the doctor here you’ve died. The doctors here were just letting you suffer and die by inches. I had to do something. Doctor Loveless here found you being tortured by Calderon and he rescued you. No one but the two of us know who he is and he has saved your life James.”  
“Thank you, Doctor.”  
“You are very velcome, Herr Vest”  
The door opened and Colonel Richmond entered the room removing his hat as he did. “Velcome, Herr Richmond.”   
“Doctor Liebknecht, thank you for saving Mr. West’s life. He’s very valuable to us.”  
“I am pleased to have been of assistance. I hafe to give Herr Vest one more injection then, I must return to Vienna, the University will be starting classes soon and I must be prepared for my students.” The dwarf gave James the last of his penicillin injections. He finished, then climbed down and bowed briefly, and left.  
Once Loveless, was gone, both agents heaved a sigh of relief that Colonel Richmond had not recognized Loveless. “I heard that the doctors are going to be discharging you in a couple of days. The President has been appraised of your condition and his specific orders are that you take as long as you need to fully recover. Just keep in touch, both of you.” Richmond put his hat back on and left the two agents alone.  
“Gods, that was too close. Harboring a fugitive could have gotten us in to a whole lot of trouble.”  
“Trouble!! We could’ve ended up joining Loveless in prison, and I for one have no intention of ending up in prison.” Gordon began to laugh as he looked at his partner. James joined in it was a relief to get the dwarf out of the hospital and a relief just to be alive. What a twist of fate for the first time in a very long time Loveless had not tried to kill them, but save them. What a strange thing fate was, both James and Artemus wondered what it had in store for them in the future.


End file.
